Individuals working or playing in uninhabited outdoor environments, for example when camping, almost always carry a flashlight with them as standard gear. However, those who require safety devices such as flares, animal deterrents or fire starters, must pack or carry these as additional equipment. Not having these devices on hand and accessible at a moment's notice can worsen a dangerous scenario, especially in the event of a bear or other animal attack.
For self-defense and other security applications, individuals who wish or need to carry a non-lethal protection device on themselves have a limited number of options available to them. Pepper spray is one of the most popular options available, and can be carried in aerosol canisters or spray discharge flashlights, as well as in other devices. A drawback with pepper spray deployment is that it has little intimidation effect on a would-be assailant, having now been in use for so many years. There are also flashlight devices that have strobe functions to serve as an initial warning or defensive measure, but they all require the user to press an activation button a number of times in order to deploy the strobe light.
Almost all enforcement and military agencies world-wide equip their personnel with a variety of less-than-lethal devices. Devices that shoot tear gas and pepper spray are commonly used, although far more popular is the use of loaded-down or less-than-lethal 12 gauge shotgun shells. These munitions are essentially standard shotgun shells that contain less gunpowder than normal, and are loaded with projectiles such as rubber bullets or beanbags. The effect of these less-than-lethal shells is to knock an individual down without being lethal. The problem, however, is that deploying these highly-effective rounds requires the use of an actual, full-size shotgun. In many cases, agencies deploying less-than-lethal 12 gauge rounds must equip their personnel with shotguns that have been colorized to distinguish them as special equipment, so as not to confuse them with shotguns carrying lethal rounds. Since regular shotguns can deploy both lethal and less-than-lethal rounds, making a mistake by mixing ammunition can have fatal consequences.
Almost all SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) and military teams carry what is known as a ‘master key’, which is essentially a cut-down shotgun that is mounted under a standard-issue battle rifle (e.g. an M4). Loaded with 12 gauge buckshot rounds, a master key is highly effective in blowing locked doors open. The problem is that mounting a cut-down shotgun under a rifle is expensive, heavy and cumbersome to carry.